WHITENOISE Part 5: Embattled Tshabalala to be charged by DA

BY CHARL BOSCH - DECEMBER 4, 2014

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has announced that it has laid perjury charges against beleaguered SABC Chairwoman, Ellen Tshabalala, after Parliament’s Communications Portfolio Committee yesterday found her guilty of lying about her academic qualifications.

In a affidavit posted on the party’s website, Shadow Minister for Communications, Gavin Davis, said that Tshabalala’s sworn testimony, handed in at the Sandton police station in July 2013 claiming that her house had been burgled “around 2001-2002” and her documents and academics records stolen shortly before applying for the position on the SABC board in 2013, had been false.

Speaking during the sitting yesterday, Unisa Executive Director for Legal Services, Jan van Wyk, told the enquiry that Tshabalala had failed twice previously to complete the BCom degree listed on her CV. He also revealed that she only passed two out of her six Labour Relations modules, achieving 13% for Human Relations and 35% for Labour Relations respectively.

“If the certificates do not exist, they could not have been stolen in a burglary. It is therefore a lie to state that they were. Not only is this a lie, it is an act of perjury since the statement that the certificates were stolen was made under oath in a sworn affidavit,” said Davis.

He also stated that if convicted, Tshabalala would be forced to back the money for attending the broadcaster’s board meetings, adding that she was paid R936 000 last year.